1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices which monitor and keep a running account of the cost of consumption of a particular utility in a home or commercial environment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many devices which measure fuel consumption by direct measurement of the flow of fuel being consumed. These devices employ fuel flow meters (the specific type being dependent upon the particular utility being measured) in conjunction with various oscillating circuits responsive to the flow of fuel through the metering device and electronic microprocessing circuitry for calculating the flow of fuel measured at the meter. The majority of these devices, in the electrical arts for example, are devoted to monitoring the consumption of electric power by direct metering of the current being consumed. The circuitry employed by the prior art is complex, expensive, and not easily repairable without replacing more than the discrete circuit element at fault. Moreover, the prior art is concerned with directly metering the quantity of the utility being consumed, rather than correlating the cost of utility consumption with the period of time during which the utility consumption apparatus consumes the utility being monitored.
It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide a simple device for monitoring the cost of consumption of a specific utility without directly metering the utility being consumed, and thereby to encourage energy conservation measures in the home and office environments.